5 Ways to Conquer Stress

Today I’m presenting at a conference in Kentucky which means…I am far away from my baby blog. In my absence, my dear blog-friend Ashley has come over to share her expertise as a counselor with all of us….leave her some love, please. And be sure to check out her blog, A Recipe for Sanity for great cooking tips, thoughts on learning to love herself, and life with her sweet guy…Ashley is on my regular reading list for a reason. If you haven’t met yet, I’ll think you’ll LOVE her!

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Like all of you, I wear many hats. I work full time; I’m a master’s student in Marriage and Family Therapy (which means they’ve actually unleashed me on real people with real problems!), and I’m also a partner to Rob, the most incredible guy on the planet. You can see how sometimes things get a bit hectic.

I’ve realized over the years the importance of taking care of myself so that I can take care of others. Without self-care, I wind up sitting in the corner, crying and eating my hair. (Okay, maybe not exactly like that, but just talk to Rob. He’ll tell you it’s pretty close!) The lovely Elizabeth has asked me to share with you five ways to manage stress and take care of yourself, so here goes:

1. Pamper Yourself: Do something calming for both your mind and your body. This could be anything that relaxes you, and it doesn’t have to cost much, if anything at all! I’m a grad student, so I don’t always have the money to go out and get a pedicure or a massage. But I’ll pamper myself by giving myself a home pedicure, or using a face mask that makes me look like a member of the Blue Man Group. I’ll light a candle, take a long shower, and relax with a television show or movie that only I enjoy. Moments like this that are just for me really help me to manage stress and feel more balanced.
2. Move It!: I am so guilty of putting this on the back burner, but finding a physical activity that you enjoy is huge in managing stress. It could be anything you like: a run in your favorite park, a yoga class with a friend, or a zumba video you got from the library. Even if you go outside just to enjoy nature and look around, it’s great for your mind and body and will reduce your stress level. If you’re like me and you’re always putting the other things on your to-do list before this, schedule it in!
   

   Source: itsfitnessbaby.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

3. Eat Something (But Not Just Anything!): I notice that when I’m really busy and stressed, I tend to grab for the first thing I can eat quickly. The problem with that is that those meals are usually not what my body needs to feel energized and ready to face a long day. Lately, I’ve been making more of an effort to have healthy foods on hand, like pieces of fruit and yogurts I can just grab from the fridge. I know we’ve all heard it before, but I’ve noticed that when I’m getting the kind of nutrition my body needs to power through a 14+ hour day, I feel so much better. As tempting as it is, don’t skip meals because you’re too busy, and plan ahead so that you are eating delicious foods that support your crazy-busy lifestyle!
4. Rant If You Need To: I’m serious: I believe in the therapeutic power of venting to friends, on your blog, to your cat…whatever works for you. Holding negative emotions in is only going to increase the blow-up when you finally lose it later (or am I just talking about myself?). When you have a bad day, tell someone about it or do something physical (kickboxing class, perhaps?) to express your emotions.
   

   Source: someecards.com via Ashley on Pinterest

5. Get Some Sleep: I know, I know. You’ve heard this one before. The busier you are and the more stress you have, the less sleep you might be getting each night. Everyone tells you to get those 8 hours, but I know firsthand that it doesn’t always work that way. Still, get as much sleep as you can. Try to unwind before bed with a book or other relaxing activity. Make sleep a priority so that you can get the rest you need to conquer another busy day and keep your stress levels down.

- Ashley

 

Source: mylifecoachsparkles.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

 

See what I mean? Ashley needs to be MY counselor! Go here to check out her blog.

What about you? What ways do you manage stress for yourself?

love, elizabeth

Let it…drizzle?

The weather here hasn’t exactly inspired visions of sugar plums in my head. It’s kind of just been blahblah drizzly fall. Which I will probably be longing for come February in Ohio. But with the tree and the lights and the Christmas carols blaring…I guess I was just hoping for a little snowflake. I was thinking this December might be a bust until I saw THIS.

Now THAT’S what I’m talking about. Bring it on, December.

Oh, and if you haven’t stopped over to enter Ashley’s adorable holiday giveaway at A Recipe for Sanity, you need to go there right now! If you haven’t had a chance to read and follow Ashley, you should probably get on that. Because she’s seriously an awesome cook and an awesome writer AND one of my favorite blogs out there. Stop by and say hello!

love, elizabeth

Freedom to Fail

Last night I was reading this post from Ashley over at A Recipe for Sanity. Ashley is such a kind, thoughtful, deep-well of a person and I always love reading what’s going on in her life. When she talked about feeling overwhelmed and praying honest prayers, I was reminded of the peace that comes from having an honest conversation with God.

I tend to be a perfectionist and so when it comes to the many things that take up my time, I get into this mindset: If I can’t do it perfectly, I can’t do anything, at all. I become paralyzed with my need to BE PERFECT. The problem is, and I know you’re shocked, I will never be perfect.

Last Sunday, one of the youth directors at our church spoke about living in God’s grace. It gives us room to live, “freedom to fail,” she said.

 

Source: motherlanddesign.blogspot.com via Kyle on Pinterest

 

I get pretty caught up with my desire to do things perfectly. And I am pretty unkind to myself when I don’t measure up. I have to ask myself, does this really matter? Does it matter if I get perfect grades or have a spotless home or impress every person I meet? Do I always have to know the answer? Does everyone have to like me? Can I make a mistake? Can I make a bad decision and just choose to learn from it? Will the world really end if I don’t “get it right?”

So this month, with grad school starting again and classes and work and all the pressures that come with that, I am choosing to remember I have been given the freedom to fail, to not measure up, to fall down and get up again.

 

Source: louboosandshoes.blogspot.com via Kyle on Pinterest

 

What about you? Is it difficult for you to give yourself permission to be less than perfect? Do you have a story about feeling freedom to fail?

love, elizabeth

Guest Post: Ashley from Recipe for Sanity

My blogger’s heart is extra full this morning because it knows that while I am in Louisville getting ready for the wedding, you all are getting to talk with one of my favorite bloggers on the world wide web, Ashley. Ashley keeps one of the most genuine, sincere, and down-to-earth blogs I have read and she writes with such kindness and grace, that it’s difficult not to love her immediately! Also, she often shares her many amazing and easy recipes. Make sure to go visit her at Recipe for Sanity and say hello! I promise you’ll love her.

When Elizabeth first asked me to guest post, I had trouble connecting my image of Rob and I with the word “adventure”. After all, we’re not exactly the cliff diving, zip-lining type. We get our adventure from movies and trying a new entrée on a restaurant menu, not from hanging upside-down by a bungee cord. Yet after talking things over with Rob, I realized that in five years together, we have had some real adventures and challenges in our relationship. Moving in together was unquestionably the biggest adventure of all.

The move itself was a hot mess. One would think that moving from a one-bedroom unit to a two-bedroom in the same complex would be the easiest move possible. Not so, my friends. Not only were the movers sloppy and late to arrive, they created a large hole in our bedroom door (heart-shaped, ironically), which they refused to take responsibility for until much later. There was also the shower curtain rod that hit me in the face, and the shower head that came out of the wall in my hand…all in the same night. Or the washer that was improperly installed and flooded the whole kitchen, leaving me ankle-deep in water, sobbing about how I couldn’t handle one more thing happening with this move. Yet what Rob and I did not know was that leaking washers and faulty shower heads would be the easiest thing for us to handle. Moving in together was the real challenge.

You woke me up when you came to bed last night.

Well YOU left the dishes in the sink.

Why don’t you EVER take out the garbage?

These were the type of arguments we had on a regular basis. Prior to moving in together, we rarely fought. Once we shared an apartment, however, we started disagreeing on the smallest, least important issues. Being of Latina/Italian descent, I naturally made the most noise about it. My way of expressing my anger was to cry, sulk on our bed, or slam a door. The slamming door phase ended quickly, after that heart-shaped hole cut my hand. Served me right. Rob is a lot calmer and more passive, so he preferred to get defensive (quietly), shut me out, or sit in silence while I rattled off my laundry list of reasons for being angry with him. I found myself wondering if we had made the right choice, if all of this arguing meant that we weren’t the couple we thought we were.

If I could go back in time and talk to the girl I was then, I would tell her that this was an adventure. The challenges, the painful moments…those were growing pains. We weren’t falling apart; we were coming together as a family. I was so frustrated because I was learning to put Rob and our relationship at the top of my list, instead of always thinking about myself. I was learning to stick it out through the tough times, and that always being right was not as important as our love for one another. Three years after our move, I know now these things to be true. Because we had that challenging time in our relationship, we now know that we can make it through anything, and that giving up is not an option. That adventure laid the foundation for what we have today: a love story that I never dreamed could be mine. I wouldn’t change a thing.

- Ashley

Told you she was great. Don’t forget to head over HERE and say hi. Thanks so much, Ashley, for taking care of the blog while I’m away!

love, elizabeth

PS: Tune in tomorrow for another guest post about adventure from…(you’ll have to come back and see!)